Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Shoreline cleanups: the first step to solving plastic pollution in the Salish Sea

2016SSEC

Through the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, we engage thousands of Canadians of all ages about ocean conservation, plastic pollution and ultimately, prevention. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup began in Vancouver, B.C. in 1994 and has continued to grow and expand across the country each year. In 2015, more than 2,000 volunteer led cleanups were registered through our program, with more than 59,000 participants. Groups who take part include corporate groups, schools, universities, Girl Guides, Scouts, community groups and concerned citizens. Shoreline cleanups take place anywhere land connects to water, including rivers, streams, beaches and stormwater drains. All cleanup participants collect data about the litter they find and every year, plastic dominates the items that our participants find. Single use plastics and smoking related litter in particular are the most common items found. Litter on shorelines around the Salish Sea can come from picnicking on popular urban beaches, fishing operations, shipping activity, illegal dumping and aquaculture gear. Whatever the source, all stakeholders agree that these items don’t belong on beaches. We use our volunteers’ experiences to tell the story of shoreline litter in the media and to contribute to local, regional and international efforts to reduce marine litter. We will continue to encourage British Columbians to conduct shoreline cleanups around the Salish Sea as the first step in the solution to marine litter and plastic pollution.